Energy and exergy analysis of a building integrated semitransparent photovoltaic thermal (BISPVT) system

In this paper, a study has been carried out to evaluate the energy and exergy performance of a building integrated semitransparent photovoltaic thermal (BISPVT) system integrated to the roof of a room. Comparisons have been carried out on the basis of energy and exergy by considering six different photovoltaic (PV) modules. It is observed that maximum annual electrical energy is 810 kW h for heterojunction comprised of a thin amorphous silicon (a-Si) PV cell on top of a crystalline silicon (c-Si) cell (also known as HIT) and the maximum annual thermal energy is 464 kW h for a-Si. It is also concluded that HIT PV module is suitable for producing electrical power whereas a-Si is suitable for space heating. However, an annual overall thermal energy (2497 kW h) and exergy (834 kW h) is maximum for HIT PV module.

► Semitransparent PV modules are integrated to the roof of a room.
► m-Si, p-Si, a-Si, CdTe, CIGS and HIT PV modules are considered for the analysis.
► Annual electrical energy (810 kW h) is higher in HIT PV module.
► Annual thermal energy (464 kW h) is higher in a-Si module.